Two years ago a man with a long criminal history was shot and killed by a smoke shop clerk, but the story took a strange turn when his window sued.

Two years ago a man with a long criminal history was shot and killed by a smoke shop clerk, but the story took a strange turn when his window sued.

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Updated: 3:15 PM MDT Oct 22, 2014

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WEBVTT BACK TO YOU. AFTER TWO MEN HELD UP A SOUTH VALLEY STORE...JUST ONE IS BEHIND BARS. DEPUTIES SAY A CLERK KILLED THE OTHER. DEPUTIES SAY CHRISTOPHER GARZA AND RUBEN LUCERO, ROBBED THE PAJARITO STORE ON ISLETA. AT SOME POINT, THE CLERK OPENED FIRE. THE SUSPECTS DROVE OFF, BUT CRASHED A FEW MILES AWAY. GARZA DIED FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND. LUCERO WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, AND IS EXPECTED TO BE ARRESTED AS SOON AS HE'S RELEASED. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME AN EMPLOYEE HAS SHOT AND KILLED AN ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT. TWO YEARS AGO... A MAN WITH A LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY WAS SHOT DEAD BY A SMOKE SHOP CLERK. BUT HERE'S WHERE THE STORY TAKES A BIZARRE TURN.. THE SUSPECT'S WIDOW SUED! TARGET 7'S NANCY LAFLIN HAS MORE. RAMON SEDILLO WAS A MAN WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM... AND THE LAW. HE FIRST CAME ON OUR RADAR IN 2002. THAT'S WHEN HE AND HIS FRIENDS GRABBED THE PURSE OFF THE ARM OF AN 89-YEAR OLD WOMAN... DRAGGING HER. THAT WOMAN LATER DIED FROM HER INJURIES. SEDILLO... A DOCUMENTED GANG MEMBER ... SPENT LESS THAN SIX YEARS BEHIND BARS. THE VICTIM'S WIDOWER WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT SENTENCE. "justice has been done...but what can you say." ACCORDING TO OUR REPORTS -- THE JUDGE IN THE CASE SUSPENDED THE MAJORITY OF THE SENTENCE AS AN INCENTIVE FOR SEDILLO TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. BUT RAMON SEDILLO WOULD BE IN THE NEWS AGAIN FOR ANOTHER HIGH PROFILE CASE. OCTOBER 2012... POLICE SAY SEDILLO AND HIS BUDDIES WERE ARMED WITH GUNS WHEN THEY TRIED TO ROB THE FULL SPECTRUM SMOKE SHOP. THE CLERK PULLED OUT HIS OWN GUN, FIRED, AND KILLED SEDILLO. LAST YEAR... SEDILLO'S WIDOW SUED THE SMOKE SHOP... AND THE CITY... CLAIMING ... THE WRONGFUL DEATH OF HER HUSBAND. THIS YEAR... A FEDERAL JUDGE DISMISSED IT. "This was frivolous lawsuit. They should never have filed it." THE AMOUNT PAID TO SEDILLO'S WIDOW AND HER ATTORNEY: NOTHING. BUT IT STILL COSTS TAXPAYERS. "When they don't have merit...it requires the city to vigorously try and get these dismissed. When they don't...we will fight the frivolous lawsuits." "We reached out to the attorney for Sedillo's widow -- Amavalise Jaramillo. I spoke to him on the phone. He didn't want to talk about this case... and did not want to do an interview. For Target 7...I'm Nancy Laflin. AND POLICE SAY, THEY'RE SEEING A LOT OF STORE CLERKS FIGHTING BACK. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CASES IN JUST THE LAST TWO MONTHS. IN AUGUST, POLICE SAY A CLERK AT AN ALBUQUERQUE SMOKE SHOP SHOT A MAN HOLDING UP THE STORE. AND JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THAT, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AT A DAIRY QUEEN IN THE SOUTH VALLEY. IN BOTH ROBBERIES THE SUSPECT DIED. individuals that own businesses are starting to protect themselves and take matters into their own hands THE CLERK IN LAST NIGHT'S SHOOTING WILL

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Smoke shop shooting lawsuit dismissed

Two years ago a man with a long criminal history was shot and killed by a smoke shop clerk, but the story took a strange turn when his window sued.